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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $450.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharp at all focal lengths, low distorsion, good zoom range

Cons:

Relatively small aperture

To me, this is the ideal zoom lens for a DX-camera. It has a good zoom-range going from wide angle to moderate telephoto and performs very well across the whole range. Distorsion and chromatic abberation are very well controlled. Apart from being optically superior, it also differs from kit-zooms by the build quality. It has a metal mount, weather sealing rubber gasket and a focus distance scale. Autofocus is precise and relatively fast.

This is the lens that sits on my D7100 for 90% of the time. With this, a long telephoto and a fast prime you are ready for anything.

sjkip

Registered: October 2013Posts: 15

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by sjkip

Review Date: 10/5/2013

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $600.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Fairly small and handy, super sharp

Cons:

Somewhat limited focal length range

Despite the limited focal length range, this lens is a versatile one for general purposes outdoors or even in museums with fairly poor light. The latter is because the VR works well enough that one can shoot through a small aperture for depth of field, and still be able to hand hold at ISO 1000 or less. All you need in a kit is this one, a good macro and a longer zoom, like the 70-300 VR.

TomE

Registered: May 2013Posts: 4

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by TomE

Review Date: 5/30/2013

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

perfect allround zoom range, IQ

Cons:

not as sharp on tele

My copy is so used & beaten, that I am considering buying a new one. It's a perfect allround lens, that I can recommend to everyone using Nikon DX. Much better in IQ than 18-200.
I hope Nikon will release a new(better, constant apperature) version soon. If not, I will buy this one again.

spochana

Registered: January 2013Posts: 6

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by spochana

Review Date: 4/28/2013

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Handy zoom range with very good image quality

Cons:

None (hope to see a constant f for an improved one)

Using this lenses since it first came out with my D90 and still use as normal zoom for other bodies. Never disappoint with its image quality.

six34sigma

Registered: April 2013Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by six34sigma

Review Date: 4/13/2013

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $699.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Very sharp throughout focal length

Cons:

poor bokeh

Sharp through the range, great primary lens with a useful focal length. VRII capability is great also with had held shots possible at the wide(er) end at 1/10". Use it as my primary walk around lens.

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

sharp sharp sharp

Cons:

0!

i love this lens it is the one lens that is on my camera 98% of the time it is really sharp no noticeable ca i really wish they would make a pro version of this lens like they did with the 24-120

Mac_In_FL

Registered: April 2009Posts: 5

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Mac_In_FL

Review Date: 7/26/2010

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $420.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Excellent resolution and color rendition. Versatile range. Just a great lens!

Cons:

Wish it was 1 stop faster and that's all.

I have had this lens for nearly two years and my appreciation just continues to grow. This lens can deliver stunning images. It is sharp wide-open and becomes razor sharp after 1-2 stops. Color rendition is excellent.

This is such a nice compact and useful range. It has earned the position of being the lens always mounted on my D300 unless I have a specific need for a different focal length or there is no substitute for speed. Otherwise, the 16-85 is my "go to" lens.

I also have the Nikon 18-200/VR (Type 1). Not talking the 18-200 down, but it is a lens of convenience and does not match the overall IQ of the 16-85mm.

I wish it was a little faster but then there are trade-offs there, too and it would probably cost a lot more. This is not an inexpensive lens but definitely worth the price.

RadiantLite

Registered: June 2009Posts: 16

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by RadiantLite

Review Date: 1/13/2010

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 9

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $680.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharp, sharp, sharp!

Cons:

None

If money is an issue, you probably wouldn't buy this lens. If you're looking for a versatile zoom that delivers (at least almost) the quality of prime-lenses, you will. Everytime again I'm amazed how well it performs. It's great.

Focus

Registered: May 2008Posts: 11

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Focus

Review Date: 12/27/2009

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 4

Pros:

Sharp

Cons:

Over prized

I gave this lens some low number, because I feel it doesn't deliver so much for the price and the number has gotten out of proportion.
I used it for about a year and then sold it to get a 18-105. Only pixel peepers can see the differance, but it does give more tele; the 2 mm on the wide angle I don't miss.

frances

Registered: September 2007Posts: 4

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by frances

Review Date: 11/25/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $665.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

sturdy build quality, feels good in the hands, vr works well and photos are fairly sharp

Cons:

a little slow

I bought the Nikon D40X and this lens because I wanted a really good vacation camera and lens. The problem with this combination is that when the lens is at max wide angle (16)and the camera's flash is used, a shadow is produced on the lower edge of the photo. This is corrected at 18 and does not recur at other angles.

Ylenh

Registered: September 2009Posts: 3

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Ylenh

Review Date: 9/11/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $712.76| Rating: 10

Pros:

Specially sharp, VR

Cons:

It has just broken after one year 4 months... Doesn't focus

I suppose I just had bad luck, and due to the fact that I just bought it when it arrived at the market, the lense probably had a deffect.

Despite this, I really recommend this lense. I really love the sharpness and the colours. It is suitable at almost all situations. I love it in portraits.

I've really notice the diference between 18mm to 16mm.

VictorN_1212

Registered: July 2009Posts: 3

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by VictorN_1212

Review Date: 7/16/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

i've had this lens for over a year now, and i must say it has held up pretty well. build quality is excellent, and vrII works very well. overall sharpness is good and makes for a nice walkaround lens. i make sure to bring this whenever i go with my out of town trips. very usable zoom range.

there's no real glaring weakness of this lens, so i would highly recommend it. ditch that kit lens and go for this!

Rakuda

Registered: June 2009Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Rakuda

Review Date: 6/21/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $625.00| Rating: 9

I've had this lens for 4 months now and I love it. It's sharp corner to corner and the distortion at the ends are easily correctable. Plus, I love the VRII on this lens, it works beautifully. Though it's expensive for this grade of lens, I find it the most versatile one for my travel since it's fairly light and has a very useful focal length. Of course, it's also slow... but then I use my primes for low-light photography. For what it does, an all-purpose travel lens, it's perfect for me.

Tommygun

Registered: June 2009Posts: 4

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Tommygun

Review Date: 6/20/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 0

Pros:

Good build, sharp, VR, good range

Cons:

Expensive and slow

This lens retails around £450 which is a lot for a slow lens. Ok it has VR which can give an extra 3-4 stops depending on how steady your hand is. Generally a very good lens with good build quality and sharp results. Great travel lens but a bit expensive.

Toby

Registered: June 2009Posts: 6

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Toby

Review Date: 6/5/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 5

Pros:

Sharpness (if you are lucky to get a good specimen), little distortion, little vignetting

Cons:

Poor quality control of Nikon, poor build quality

This lens is an example of good construction but poor quality control.

I bought my first specimen in a Kit with a D300. I was generally surprised by quite good sharpness, good VR, little vignetting, and very little distortion - until I realized that at certain apertures (approximately f8 to f16) there was a small but completely unsharp point in the very middle of the picture.

I went to my dealer and switched the lens. Unfortunately, I did not test the new sample in the shop, because this lens No. 2 did not focus to a distance smaller than about 0.8 m (making a sound like mouse being squeezed). Trying to turn the zoom ring, I realized that something was really wrong about this lens. Went back to my dealer (facing the usual "this is the first time that a 16-85 is being returned" and replying "well, for me it is the second time") and exchanged the lens.

This time, I tested the lens No. 3 in the shop (my usual but simple test of taking flash pictures of a small print newspaper section). Comparing it with the dealer's specimen from his test range (i.e. lens No. 4), I realized that the dealer's sample was significantly sharper (the dealer agreed). I was about to buy the dealer's sample as I checked the corner sharpness across the zoom range: Two corners were completely unsharp, demonstrating that the lens was not centered correctly. At this time, a piece fell from my D300 (one of the connections holding the inbuilt flash in position) and I was about to return the entire Nikon Kit. My dealer grew slightly uneasy and agreed to have me test a specimen No. 5. Lens No. 5 turned out to be ok and I still own it. In the end, I am satisfied with sharpness, also at open aperture, very little vignetting and very little distortion). Also my D300 has not lost any pieces anymore.

I do not understand why a lens in this price category is sold like bananas at a fruit stand: If the dealer allows, the customer may choose a sample that is not rotten. It appears like an insult to the engineers who spend time to construct a surprisingly good zoom lens only to experience a lack in adjustment and quality control compromising this quality.

I would be more cautious in my statements had I not seen similar reports being posted on various sites.

If you like the lens (and there are some pro's - e.g. there are not many zoom lenes that can offer such little distortion at an equivalent of 24 mm), I can only recommend to test it thoroughly at your dealer's shop. Consequently, I would not buy the lens via the internet.

My lesson is that name Nikon does not guarantee a certain level of quality control. Particularly the DX lenses should be checked with great care before buying.

doomin5

Registered: February 2009Posts: 2

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by doomin5

Review Date: 4/21/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $595.95| Rating: 10

Pros:

EXTREMELY SHARP!

Cons:

Variable aperture with a max f/5.6 @ 85mm

I bought this lens in August 2008 and absolutely love it! The 16-85mm range is excellent for most situations (especially landscapes and portrait work). And, I can't emphasize enough how sharp this lens is. Amazing little bugger for the price! Most of the images on my website were shot with this lens, and I always believe the proof is in the puddin'.

My only complaint is the variable aperture, the corner softness and distortion at 16mm combined with larger apertures. Having said that, it's not very often a photographer would need or want a larger aperture at 16mm (except for low light conditions).

Either way, this lens is fantastic and the price/performance ratio is astounding!

Happy Shooting!
Cheers,

Trevor

Enrake

Registered: November 2008Posts: 5

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Enrake

Review Date: 1/10/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharpness.

Cons:

Non, so far.

I think this lens is just outstanding , extremely sharp and extremely versatile.
A very,very good lens.

johnmh

Registered: January 2009Posts: 8

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by johnmh

Review Date: 1/7/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $580.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Good all-around carry lens

Cons:

I use this as part of my 'light' carry kit - usually paired with a 70-300. If you want, add a Tokina 11-16 for really wide landscapes.

It's a great all-around lens in a small compact package. Better image quality than the 18-200 - if you're willing to swap lenses, this lens paired with the 70-300 is a FAR superior carry combination.

I have 'good' glass but sometimes it's just too much to carry around - and some places you really don't want to be carrying a 24-70 and 70-200.

Thoppa

Registered: December 2008Posts: 12

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Thoppa

Review Date: 12/7/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $525.00| Rating: 9

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $600.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

very sharp, very corrected wide end, very good color rendering, small .

Cons:

Vignetting at wide end wide open.

I think this lens is just outstanding , extremely sharp and extremely versatile.

The best light weight travel lens for my D300 , D80 and D90.

I had 2 copies of the aF-S17-55f2.8DX and this AF-S16-85VR is much sharper at coners and edges.

I think f2.8 zooms are expensive because it's faster and usually had better build. etc, not because it is sharper than a consumer lens in similar range.

And in real life the VR2 beats the f2.8 any time unless your subject is moving fast in low light, but in real low light , f2.8 is not fast enough to stop motion blur any way, get a this lens or a Tamorn 17-50f2.8 with some primes , the af-S17-55f2.8Dx is expensive but not sharper than this lens or the good copy of the Tamorn.

I still think, with its great range and VR2 , this lens is the best in this range in any mount, even better than the 24-105f4LIS on a 5D.

lextalionis

Registered: October 2007Posts: 82

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by lextalionis

Review Date: 11/22/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $700.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Full-Nice-Range with high IQ!

Cons:

Nothing really, maybe a bit less money?

Folks, this is one of Nikon's de-facto lenses now. Great range and great IQ!

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $699.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

compact, sharp

Cons:

expensive

I sold my jewel of the 1980's and 90's a 35-70 AF 2.8 metal nikkor. With the DX format, the old 35-70 just did not have a desirable range. So i moved on to the 18-135 DX mm and then the 24-85 AF and then on to the 16-85 DX mm.

The construction of the 16-85 is tight, has a substantial metal barrel, and no play as the lense extends. As i mentioned, this is my fourth lense in this range, and while not constructed on the level of the 35-70 2.8, it is much superior to the other mentioned lenses.

Sharpness is very good, and between the four lenses, it is the best. When you have the camera pointed at an object, focus just snaps in there - and you can see the clarity right on the viewfinder. No hunting around for focus with this lense!

Color is great! We are really making some headway in the medium cost lenses today. I have seen none of the problems of chroma with like the 18-135 exhibits. Distortion is also only noticable at the 16 mm to 20 mm or so area. But, not near like the 18-135 mm.

This lense is not cheap, but it takes as as good a photo on a D80 as the 35-70 2.8, and shoots as good a photo on the same subjects. Two different eras, but if you are going DX, and there is no reason not to, the lense if probably the best of Nikons offerings.

hbalben

Registered: September 2008Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by hbalben

Review Date: 9/10/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $699.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Great Range Nikon quality

Cons:

None

I use the lens on my D300 with great results. I was surprised at the quality and fast fouus speed.
The colors are terrific also.

Great all around lens -- the kind you can use all day and not get tired.

Highly recommended!

Rob917

Registered: January 2008Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Rob917

Review Date: 9/9/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $588.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Image Quality, 16mm at wide end

Cons:

Lens hood tends to come off

I am very pleased with lens. I bought it in July and have used it every day since. It's my main lens and I combine it with the 70-300mm VR. These two lens are just about all I need on my D80.
The image quality is great-sharp, no CA and very little distortion as compare to my 18-135mm.
I'm very comfortable with the construction quality. The VR is very effective I have gotten some hand held shots in very low light which I didn't expect to get.

Highly recommended

Caki

Registered: July 2008Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Caki

Review Date: 7/29/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $792.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Great build quality, Sharp, 16mm

Cons:

price, weight, aperture range

Great lens from 16mm to 85mm

The DxO module for the Nikon D80 is no available!

dellbuzz

Registered: July 2008Posts: 2

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by dellbuzz

Review Date: 7/21/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $800.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

high quality, sharp

Cons:

price

Great construction solid performer. Perfectly weighted on my D80. 16mm is great and definitely worth $ over 18mm lenses. I already have many shots saved by 16mm that my friend with an 18mm couldn't get. The 85mm end beats 55mm hands down, making this an ideal day-trip lens.

Dxo has a new module for D80, anyone tried it on dxo 4.5? I can DL it but it won't load in the dxo 4.5
It doesn't say v5 only on main page but

bridges

Registered: June 2008Posts: 4

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by bridges

Review Date: 6/4/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $720.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

range, IQ

Cons:

speed

Great build quality, no zoom creep at all. Fantastic range, can't beat this for a DX body.

sharper than my 17-55 f2.8 this is the one to carry around

umberto

Registered: May 2008Posts: 4

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by umberto

Review Date: 5/30/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $650.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharp

Cons:

None really

Great lens! Perfect for travelling! Very sharp images and VR works like you expect it to! Excellent image quality with excellent build, size and weight.

I highly recommend this lens!

kryglik

Registered: April 2008Posts: 1

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by kryglik

Review Date: 4/1/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $950.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

sharpness (even at large apertures), vr, 16 & 85 mm

Cons:

slow, price

I bought this lens to replace my 18-70. I wanted to get more sharpness at wide settings and this lens does it very well. It is sharp everywhere. It's even sharper than some of my prime lenses! 16mm can save few shots, but it is not so big difference from 18mm. It feels better to zoom as it's tougher to rotate zoom-ring.

Build quality is same as with 18-70 (or any other basic nikon zooms). VR is a nice bonus.

Summary: Performance matches it's higher price. Highly recommended!

Bobcopeland

Registered: November 2005Posts: 7

Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor review by Bobcopeland

Review Date: 3/19/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $822.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Very sharp. VR works well. Build quality

Cons:

The build quality on this lens is excellent. Everything is quite tight and there is no wobble of the lens barrels when it is zoomed to 85. In general the construction feels much better than my 18-70 which it is replacing.

Resolution is very high, noticeably better that the 18-70 and similar to the 18-135.

Image distortion is not serious but is visible when photographing straight lines towards the edges of the image eg. brick wall. The good news is that it is easy to reduce to an acceptable level with Photoshop Elements 5. I have now calibrated it so I know at a each main focal length I can quickly apply a correction factor. DXO will no doubt do a better job but I am happy enough with this method.

This is my first VR lens and it works very well. I can now pretty much forget camera shake during lower light photography.

It focuses close enough for many general close-ups and I can see my Sigma Macro lens staying in the bag for more of the time.

Overall I can't fault this lens. It provides all of the features I want in a lens, high resolution, VR, good zoom range, close focus, fairly compact.

It will make a very good vacation lens but its a pity Nikon say it is not suitable for use with a teleconverter. If anybody tries one please put in a report for the rest of us.